Hervé Renard, the coach of Zambia, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for not granting Zambia the chance to play in the FIFA Confederations Cup after their elimination from CAN 2013. The Confederations Cup is considered a general rehearsal before the World Cup, and traditionally, the African champion represents the continent at this tournament.
In 2012, Zambia emerged as the African champions, and according to Renard, they should have been the ones to represent Africa at the Confederations Cup. However, the rules stipulate that the winners of the most recent edition get the opportunity. Renard criticized CAF, suggesting that they preferred the 2013 winners over Zambia, and he expressed frustration at not being given the chance to compete.
Renard proposed a solution, suggesting a match between the winners of 2012 and 2013 to determine the representative of the continent. However, he believed that CAF was not open to such an idea. Zambia was eliminated from CAN 2013 after a draw against Burkina Faso.
